Dr.Melaxin Melting Cleanser

Why it’s here: Serves as the solvent base that dissolves or disperses other ingredients, forming the foundation of most creams, lotions, shampoos, and gels.

Plain water, almost always the largest ingredient by weight in a formula and typically purified or deionized before use.

Why it’s here: A humectant — it pulls water from the air and from deeper skin layers to the surface, helping products feel less drying and skin feel softer. It also helps stabilize emulsions and can improve the texture of soaps and lotions.

A small, simple molecule with three water-loving arms, produced by splitting fats and oils (plant or animal) or made synthetically. It has been a staple of skincare and soap for over a century.

Why it’s here: It cleanses and helps other surfactants foam more gently, which is why it appears in baby shampoos, facial cleansers, and other formulas pitched as gentle on skin and eyes.

A mild surfactant made by combining coconut-derived fatty acids with amino acid chemistry, placing it in the amphoteric surfactant family alongside ingredients like cocamidopropyl betaine.

Why it’s here: Serves multiple functions: as a solvent to help dissolve other ingredients, as a humectant contributing to texture, and notably as a preservative booster that enhances the effectiveness of other preservative systems, allowing some formulas to reduce traditional preservative levels.

A small glycol molecule used widely in cosmetic formulations, structurally similar to other diols like propanediol.

Why it’s here: In liquid soaps and shampoos, salt is used to thicken the formula by changing how surfactant molecules pack together — a cheap and effective way to get a product from watery to gel-like without adding a separate thickening ingredient. In scrubs, larger salt crystals serve as a physical exfoliant.

The same compound as ordinary table salt, either mined from underground deposits or evaporated from seawater. In cosmetics it usually appears as a fine or coarse white crystal or dissolved in water.

Why it’s here: Functions as a mild, nonionic emulsifier and surfactant, helping oil and water phases blend and contributing light cleansing or foaming to a formula without the harshness of some traditional surfactants.

A polyglycerol ester made by combining glycerin units with lauric acid, a fatty acid commonly derived from coconut or palm oil.

Why it’s here: Used as a gentle cleansing agent in facial and body washes, prized by formulators for producing a creamy lather while being less stripping to skin's natural oils than many traditional sulfate surfactants.

An amino acid-based surfactant made by combining coconut-derived fatty acids with glycine, an amino acid, then neutralizing with potassium hydroxide.

Why it’s here: It draws and holds moisture in the skin, and helps keep formulas from drying out or thickening over time.

A sugar alcohol naturally found in fruits like apples and pears, also produced industrially from corn syrup for use in food and cosmetics.

Why it’s here: Draws in moisture, helps dissolve other ingredients, and gives formulas a lighter, less sticky feel than some other humectants.

A small synthetic molecule from the alcohol family, used as a clear, colorless liquid.

Why it’s here: It boosts the effectiveness of other preservatives, allowing formulators to use lower amounts of them, and it also softens skin feel and can reduce the sharpness of some preservative systems' scent.

A synthetic compound derived from glycerin, commonly used alongside preservatives rather than as one on its own.

Why it’s here: Helps dissolve other ingredients, thins out thick formulas, and can improve how a product spreads on skin.

A synthetic glycol, a small organic molecule related to propylene glycol, used as a liquid solvent and texture modifier in cosmetic formulas.

Why it’s here: It binds trace metal ions in a formula, which keeps the product stable, prevents discoloration, and helps preservatives and surfactants work as intended.

A chelating agent, chemically related to EDTA but considered more readily biodegradable. It is made from ethylenediamine and succinic acid.

Why it’s here: Mainly used to adjust pH, bringing a formula down to a target acidity so it feels right on skin and hair and so other ingredients — some preservatives and thickeners in particular — perform as intended. It also shows up as a mild exfoliant at higher concentrations, and as a chelating agent that binds trace metals to keep a formula stable.

An organic acid found naturally in lemons, limes, and other citrus fruit, though the version in most products is made by fermenting sugar with a mold, Aspergillus niger, rather than squeezed from fruit. It is a fine white crystalline powder that dissolves readily in water.

Why it’s here: Used for its effects on skin appearance and barrier function; formulators include it to help with the look of skin tone, texture, and moisture retention.

A form of vitamin B3 (niacin) that is water-soluble and commonly formulated into serums, moisturizers, and treatment products.

Why it’s here: Used as a humectant and solvent, helping products draw and hold moisture and helping dissolve other ingredients like fragrance and preservatives.

A small organic molecule, often plant-derived from corn sugar fermentation, that is a clear, odorless liquid.

Why it’s here: Added to formulations as an antioxidant and conditioning ingredient, intended to help protect skin from oxidative stress and contribute a soft marketing appeal tied to traditional use.

An extract derived from the flowers of the camellia plant, the same genus that produces tea leaves, valued for its polyphenol content.

Why it’s here: It cleans by lifting dirt and oil, and it foams, but more gently than harsher sulfate surfactants, which makes it popular in products for sensitive skin and baby washes.

A mild, sugar-based surfactant made by combining corn or coconut-derived glucose with decyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol.

Why it’s here: Used in skincare for purported antioxidant and skin-conditioning properties, sometimes marketed toward mature skin formulations due to its isoflavone content.

An extract from the flowers of red clover, a plant notable for containing isoflavones, plant compounds structurally similar to estrogen.

Why it’s here: It's included mainly for its humectant and soothing reputation, drawing in moisture and giving a calming feel to lotions, gels, and after-sun products. It's as much a marketing signal as a functional ingredient in many formulas.

An extract taken from the leaves of the aloe vera plant, typically the gel-like inner portion. It can appear as a liquid, powder, or thicker concentrate depending on how it's processed.

Why it’s here: It is included in formulations mainly as an antioxidant, intended to help protect other ingredients and, by extension, skin from oxidative damage. It is also sometimes used for a mild conditioning effect.

An extract made from the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, the same plant used to produce green, black, and white tea. It is rich in polyphenol compounds, particularly catechins.

Why it’s here: Included for its reputed soothing and skin-conditioning effects, often in formulas aimed at sensitive or compromised skin barriers; contains compounds called triterpenoids believed to support these effects.

An extract from the leaves of Centella asiatica, a creeping plant long used in traditional Asian medicine and now a prominent ingredient in skincare, especially in products marketed as calming or barrier-supporting.

Why it’s here: Formulators include it for its humectant and film-forming properties, and it is often marketed as a conditioning or soothing agent in skin and hair products.

An extract derived from Cladosiphon okamuranus, a species of brown seaweed cultivated mainly in Okinawa, Japan. It is best known as a source of fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide found in the slimy coating of the seaweed.

Why it’s here: Used in skincare formulations as a plant-derived source of mild salicylate activity, often marketed for a gentle exfoliating or soothing effect on skin.

An extract made from the bark of the white willow tree, a traditional source of salicin, a compound chemically related to salicylic acid.

Why it’s here: Used primarily as a natural fragrance component and for its conditioning properties, lending products a citrus scent without synthetic fragrance compounds.

An extract from the leaves of lemon myrtle, an Australian native tree known for its strong citrus aroma, largely attributed to high citral content.

Why it’s here: Added to formulations primarily as an antioxidant, and sometimes for its conditioning properties or distinctive scent.

An extract derived from the seeds (beans) of the Coffea arabica plant, containing compounds such as chlorogenic acid and caffeine.

Why it’s here: Included in formulations mainly as an antioxidant, intended to help stabilize other ingredients or support the product's overall preservative system against oxidation.

A broad term for a class of plant compounds, usually extracted from citrus fruit peel or pulp, that includes substances like hesperidin and naringin. The exact composition varies depending on the plant source and extraction method.

Why it’s here: Used as a conditioning agent and occasionally for fragrance, contributing a light citrus note and intended skin-feel benefits.

An extract made from the leaves of the bergamot orange tree (Citrus aurantium bergamia), distinct from bergamot peel oil, which is the part of the plant more commonly associated with fragrance use.

Why it’s here: Used in cosmetic formulations as an antioxidant and conditioning ingredient, sometimes marketed for its plant-derived nutrient content.

An extract made from broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), typically from the seed, sprout, or whole plant, containing compounds such as glucosinolates and sulforaphane precursors.

Why it’s here: Long used in skincare to soothe irritated skin and as a mild colorant; zinc oxide component also contributes mild astringent and protective qualities.

A mineral preparation consisting primarily of zinc oxide with a small amount of iron oxide, which gives it a characteristic pink color.

Why it’s here: Included in formulas for its reputed antioxidant and conditioning properties, and sometimes for a subtle natural scent contribution.

An extract made from the needles of the Japanese red pine tree.

Why it’s here: It gives color to products like soaps, bath products, and some cosmetics, allowing a consistent, vivid red-pink hue batch after batch.

A synthetic azo dye identified by its Colour Index number, producing a bright pink-red shade. It is water-soluble and used to tint formulas rather than to do anything to the skin.

Why it’s here: Gives products a bright yellow hue; used purely for visual appearance.

A synthetic yellow dye used to color cosmetics, foods, and medications.